MARK RUBERY CHESS
The name of Rudolph Charousek ( 1873- 1900) might not be well known to many readers but in his short career he made an indelible mark on the Royal Game. Charousek was a brilliant Hungarian player whose life was tragically cut short by tuberculosis before he reached the peak of his abilities. He left a legacy of dazzling games, many of them stemming from gambits which suited his attacking style.
Charousek - Lasker Emanuel [ C33/ 14] Nurnberg, 1896
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 d5 4. Bxd5 Qh4+
5. Kf1 g5 6. Nf3 Qh5 7. h4 Bg7 8. Nc3 c6
9. Bc4 Bg4 10. d4 Nd7 11. Kf2! Bxf3 12. gxf3 0- 0- 0 13. hxg5 Qxg5 14. Ne2 Qe7 15. c3 Ne5
16. Qa4 Nxc4 17. Qxc4 Nf6 18. Bxf4 Nd7
19. Qa4 a6 20. Qa5 Nf8 21. Ng3 Ne6 22. Nf5 Qf8 23. Bg3 Rd7 24. Nxg7 Qxg7 25. Qe5 Qxe5 26. Bxe5 f6 27. Bxf6 Rf8 28. Rh6 Nf4 29. Ke3 Ng2+ 30. Kd2 Rdf7 31. e5 Nf4
32. Rah1 Rg8 33. c4 Ne6 34. Ke3 Nf8 35. d5 Rd7 36. e6 1- 0
“It is not possible for us to judge what greater heights he might have reached in his art, if his life had not closed in its spring” – P Sergeant in ‘ Charousek’s games of chess’
Another unrealised talent was that of Klaus Junge ( 1924- 45) who, improving at a phenomenal pace, tied for first with Alekhine in Prague 1942. Alas it was his last tournament, and as an officer in the German Army he was killed in action a few weeks before the end of World War 2.
Junge, K - Kottnauer, C [ D46]
Duras mem Prague ( 8), 1942
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nd7 5. Bd3 Ngf6 6. Nf3 Be7 7.0– 0 0– 0 8. b3 b6 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. Qe2 c5 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. Ne5 Rad8
13. f4 Ne4 14. Nb5 Qb8 15. Nxd7 Rxd7
16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Bxh7+ ( The beginning of the double bishop sacrifice first seen in Lasker- Bauer, 1889)… Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8
19. Bxg7! … f5 ( Accepting the second bishop sacrifice offers no solace after 19... Kxg7 20. Qg4+ Bg5 21. Qxg5+ Kh8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rf3 Ne4 24. Nc3! fatally deflecting the knight) 20. Be5 1– 0
I remember chancing upon it as a frustrated, fumbling teenage chess novice and being happily amazed to learn that chess actually had underlying principles I could learn and use. This process was aided by the simplicity and clarity with which Chernev explained myriads of previously mystifying master moves and maneuvers. Reading it was like a having a blindfold removed, waking up from a confused daze, or having a light turned on in a dark room ( not to mention having several hundred points added to my rating). – Taylor Kingston ( on Chernev’s Logical Chess Move By Move)